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T 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. H. N DODGE MAGHINE FUR STRETGHING LEATHER BELTING.N0. 267,165.

(N9 Model.)

Patented N0v,.

N, PETERS. Phawulhc n hnr, Wnhingtcn. 0. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE N. DODGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR STRETCHING LEATHER BELTING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,165, dated November'7, 1882. Application filed September 7, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HORACE N. DQDG'E, of thecity of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State ofNew York,haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Stretching andStraightening Leather Belting, of which the following is aspecification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a machine which shall be moreeffective in stretching belting than those heretofore employed, and inwhich provision is afforded for straightening the belting by hammeringor by other means when necessary and while it is under tension; also, toprovide for winding up the belting under tension after it has beenstretched.

To this end my invention consists essentially in the combination of astationary clamp for holding the belting, a traveling carriage providedwith a clamp, and mechanism for moving it away from the stationary clampto produce the stretching of the belting, and a table of stone, iron, orother suitable material between the clamps, and upon which the beltingmay be supported whileit is straightened, by being subjected to lighthammering or by other means.

The invention also consists in the combination, with the aforesaidcarriage and clamps, of a'novel combination of mechanism, particularlyhereinafter described, for operating said carriage, including screwswhich are rotated by Worm-wheels and worms, and which engage with nutsin the carriage. The screws may be rotated in the reverse direction toreturn the carriage after each stretching operation, or the nuts in thecarriage may be split nuts, the sections of which may be separated topermit the carriage turning the screws.

The invention also consists in the combination, with stationary andmovable clamps and a winding-drum, to which the end of the stretchedbelting may be attached, of a drag entirelyindependent of said clamps,through which the belt may be passed, and by which the belt is retardedor held back sufficiently to cause it to be wound up under tension.

The invention also consists in novel details in the construction of thewinding-drum and in the manner of combining the same with its drivingmechanism, whereby provision is to be slid back without afforded forreadily detaching the drum after the belting has been wound upon it, andfor substituting another drum.

The invention also consists in novel details ofconstruction andcombinations of parts, hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of amachine embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 represents a plan of the machine,the central portions thereof being brokenaway to economize space. Fig. 3represents an end elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 represents atransverse section of the machine. Fig.5 represents a detail sectionalview of the shaft which supports the winding-drum and its appurtenances,and Fig. 6 represents an end view of the winding-drum and a coil or rollof belting thereon.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A designates theframe of the machine, which is provided with tracks orways a, and B designates a carriage, mounted on and adapted to travel onsaid tracks or ways. The carriage B has mounted upon it a clamp,composed of two parts, I) 11, between which the beltingO is introduced,and one of which is adapted to be actuated by screws 1), to clamp thebelting between them. The clamps b may be of any length, but should beadapted to'receive between them the widest belting for which the machineis intended.

At a considerable distance from the carriage B is a stationary clampcomposed of two parts, 0 0, between which the heltin g (1 may be clampedby screws 0.

D designates a table or bed of stone, iron, or other suitable material,extending between the two clamps, and this bed may be of any suitablelength. The table or bed D may, for example, be from fifty to twohundred feet long, and the machine is adapted to stretch at oneoperation a length of belting about equal to the length of the table.

E designates two screws, which are mounted in suitable hearings in theframe A, and which engage with nuts (I in the carriage B. As shown inFig. 3, the nuts are each formed upon two levers, which are pivoted atd, and have at their ends pins 01 which engage with reversely-inclinedslots (1 in a bar or connection, at. E designates a lever, which isfulcrumed at (P, and the ends of which are forked and engage with pins dupon the bars or connections at. The lever E may be swung or turned by ahandle, 01, and thereby the bars or connections 02 are movedlongitudinally, so as to cause the inclined slots d to act upon the pinsd and thus open and close the nuts to release them from or engage themwith the screws E. The split nuts d may be actuated in any othersuitable manner to cause them to engage with or disengage them from thescrews E. a

F designates a driving shaft, extending transversely of the machine, andhaving upon it two worms or screws, 0, which engage with worm-wheels 6upon the screws E, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and upon said shaft is onefast pulley e and two loose pulleys, 6 When the split-nuts d areemployed as here shown the driving-shaft F may be operated by a singlebelt and the screws E rotated continuously in one direction; but whenthe split nuts are not employed it is necessary that the direction ofrotation of the screws should be reversed in order to run the carriageback toward the stationary clamp after the operation of stretching;

and I have here represented the driving mechanism, so arranged as toprovide for such reverse rotation of the screws, although it would notbe employed with the split nuts.

o Gdesignates an open, and G a crossed, belt, which pass over the pulleys, and fdesignates a shipper-bar, extending transversely of the machineand adapted to control the two belts. The barf may be shifted by ahandle or lever,

f, and also by means of a sliding rod,f extending along the side of themachine and connected with the barf byacord,f as best shown in Fig. 4..At the end of the rod f is a tappet or projection, f (shown in Fig. 1,)and when the belts are shifted to runback the carriage B, the screwsmove it back until a pin,f on the carriage strikes the tappet orprojection f whereupon the belts are shifted and the carriage stopped.

4 5 The operation of these parts of my machine are as follows: Thebelting to be stretched is first clamped at the end in the clamp b, andis then drawn straight and clamped in the sta tionary clamp'c. Thedriving-shaft F is then 0 started, and the rotation of the screws movesthe carriage B and stretches the belting. While the belting is thus putunder tension the operator or attendant, by examination, can readilydetect crooked places, and wherever he detects them the belt is to belightly hammered at and near the concave edge, the table or bed D, ofstone,iron,or analogous material,

affording a support or anvil,upon which such light hammering is or maybe performed.

H H designate two rolls, which are journaled in suitable hearings in theframe A, and are geared together by pinions g, as shown in Fig. 4', sothat they will rotate in unison. In this example of my invention theupper roll H is 6 5 pressed down upon the other by springs, the

tension of which may be regulated by screws in a well-understood manner.These rolls H have not a positive rotation imparted to them, but areadapted to turnby their frictional contact with the belting as it isdrawn forward- After each stretching operation the belting is broughtbetween the rolls H, and, upon the clamps before described beingreleased, the belting may be drawn forward by mechanism, which willpresently be described, the rolls forming a drag and sufficientlyretarding the belting to cause it to be drawn forward and wound up undertension.

In lieu of a drag of this construction one formed of plain non-rotarybars or other devices may be used.

In front of the drag-rolls This a windingdrum, I, which is composed ofsections of a length adapted to the width of the belting to be woundthereon; and 1 represents a shaft, upon which the said drum is looselyfitted, so that it may be slipped oft therefrom, but will rotatetherewith. As here shown, this shaft is square, fitting a square hole inthe drum; but it might be polygonal or round, and fitted with a splineor feather entering a groove in the drum. I

The shaft I of the drum really consists of a removable section of shaftfitting between two stationary sections, I 1 which are supported inbearings h. Upon the end of the section 1 which is squared, is secured asleeve, 1 which is adapted to beslipped longitudinally upon the shaft,so as to fit over the end of the removable section I and l designates alever,

which is fulcrurned at h, and is adapted to engage with a groove, k inthe sleeve 1', to shift the latter. When the sleeve is shifted so as toengage with the section I the lever I may be dropped between the end ofthe sleeve and the adjacent bearing 11., as shown in Fig. 5, and willthen hold the sleeve in engagement with the section 1. Upon the end ofthe section 1 is a socket, I into which the end of the section I may beslipped.

As before stated, the length of the windingdrum should be equal to thewidth of belting to be wound thereon, and one or more drumsections areemployed, as may be necessary.

Upon the section I of the shaft of the winding-drum is a large wheel,I"; and J designates a counter-shaft, having upon it a large wheel, J,and a pinion, 7L which engages with and rotates the wheel 1 and thewinding-drum.

K designates a short driving-shaft, carrying a pinion, h, which engageswith and rotates the wheel J, and also carrying fast and loose pulleys kh", over which a driving-belt may pass. By this combination of mechanisma slow rotation is imparted to the winding-drum I.

L designates a shipper-bar, carrying a shipper-fork, h, for shifting thedriving-belt from one to the other of the pulleys h h", and adapted tobe slid longitudinally in the same bearings as the shipper-rod f. Theshipper-bar L is adapted to be moved by a lever, L.

The operation of winding up the stretched belt is as follows After thebelting has been grasped between the drag-:rolls H they are turned bymeans of a hand-wheel, z, upon the end of the shaft of one of them, asshown in Fig. 4, so as to carry the end of the belting forward to thewinding-drum I. The said winding-drum has in it a longitudinalgroove, i,as shown in Fig. 6, and into this groove the end of the belt isinserted. In lieu of being inserted in said groove the winding-drummight be otherwise constructed to provide for the ready attachment ofthe end of the belting. The shipper-bar L is then shifted to start thewinding-drum I, and the belting is wound thereon under the tensionproduced by the drag of the rolls H until all, or nearly all, of thebelting last stretchedis wound up. The winding drum is then stopped andthe carriage ,B again operated to stretch another portion of the belt,whichis afterward wound up; and these alternate operations of stretchingand winding are continued until the whole length of belting is stretchedand wound up. The

sleeve 1 is then slipped off the end of the "very desirable, it might bedone in various other ways.

In order to guide the belting properly and cause it to wind squarely onthe winding-drum I, Iconduct the belting through a guide adjacent to thedrag-rolls H, (here shown as composed of parallel rods 3,) which areprovided with collars or gages j, adjustable lengthwise upon them, asbest shown in Fig. 4. The sections of the winding-drum I may he keptinproper place upon the shaft 1 by means of a collar, j, (shown in Fig.5.)

In order to aid in guiding the belting as it is wound up, especiallyafter the roll on the drum becomes large, I may employ a gage in frontof the drag-rolls H, which may consist ofv a rod, 70, fitting orsupported by arms, bars, or levers Z, and adapted to be swung upward outof the way, as shown in Fig. l'in full lines, or

downward into action, as shown in dotted lines. The rod is is adapted,when swung downward, to rest upon the wound belting G, and has upon itadjustable collars or flanges l, which fit on opposite sides of the rolland cause the beltingto be wound squarely thereon.

By my invention I provide by one machine for both stretching the beltingand straightening it.

What I claim'as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a machine for stretching and straightening belting, thecombination of a stationary clamp for holding the belting, a travelingcarriage provided with a clamp and mechanism for operating saidcarriage, and a table-anvil or bed between the clamps, over which thebelting may pass while being stretched, and upon which it may behammered for the purpose of straightening it, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a machine for stretching belting, the combination of a stationaryclamp, a carriage, B, provided with a clamp and screw-nuts, the screwsE, the driving-shaft F, and the worms or screws 6, and worm-wheels c,all substantially as described.

3. In a machine for stretching belting, the combination of a stationaryclamp, a movable carriage provided with a clamp, and split screw-nuts,screws for engaging with said nuts, mechanism for operating said screws,and devices for opening said nuts to free them from the screws when itis desired to run the carriage back, substantially as described.

4:. The combination, with astationary clamp and a movable clamp forstretching belting, and devices, substantially such as described, foroperating the movable clamp to perform the stretching operation, of awinding-drum to which the end of the belting may be attached, and a dragentirely independent of both said clamps arranged between the movableclamp and the winding drum,and by which the belting is sufficientlyretarded to cause it to be wound under tension, substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination, with the drag-rolls H H, of the winding-drum I,provided with a.

groove, t", adapted to receive the end of the belting, and mechanism,substantially such as described, for rotating said winding-roll, as setforth. I

6. The combination, with the drag-rolls H H, of the winding-roll I,composed of sections, and the shaft 1, whereon said sections are fitted,substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the drag-rolls H H, of the winding-roll I, theshaft-section I, and the shaft-sections I 1 all substantially asdescribed.

HORACE N. DODGE.

Witnesses:

FRED HAYNES, E1) L. MORAN.

